NEWS

Ever since he was a young child, Luca Engstler has been in love with motorsport. And it’s easy to see why. The Engstler name has become synonymous with success, whether that be in touring cars or GT racing. It is a name that comes with a great deal of expectation too.

The latest addition to the Lamborghini Factory Driver roster isn’t one to dwell on the past though. He’s out to carve his own unique journey in racing and is especially keen to learn from the very best in the business.

A decorate touring car champion, Engstler followed in the footsteps of his father, Franz, perhaps naturally so. Still at the tender age of 25 years-old, Luca has already bagged the most coveted prize in GT3 racing by winning the Spa 24 Hours alongside his Grasser Racing Team colleagues Jordan Pepper and Mirko Bortolotti.

Ambitious, football-mad and Call of Duty addict, let’s get to know Luca Engstler a little better, shall we?

Your father raced for a number of years, is it safe to say that motorsport is in your blood?

“100%. I followed my dad all around Europe in the motorhome with my mum, to all of the races. I barely went to kindergarten, I was always at a track somewhere in the world, so I think it was only inevitable that I got into racing. Like many drivers, I started in go-karting, then into Formula 4 and then touring cars, which is where I spent a lot of my early career.”

You are from Kempten in Germany, the same town where Abt Sportsline is based. Has it always been a dream to compete for this team?

“Yeah, I think it’s always been, for me, the logical choice to work with them, because where I from is so close to where the team is. So, to be associated with them in the NLS and the Nürburgring 24 Hours this season was an amazing opportunity for me and it’s a big thrill to be partnered with them and Lamborghini now.”

How much are you learning from the more experience Lamborghini Factory Drivers this year?

“Honestly, so much. I feel like in the recent years I have been doing a lot of races, but you have to keep in mind that the likes of Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper and Franck Perera have been racing for like 100 years with this car, so I feel like there is still a lot for me to learn and still a long journey ahead of me. Those guys have helped me with a lot of things, it’s not just the one-lap pace and how to get the most out of the car, but it’s how to handle the week-in, week-out, trying to maximise every session, every race all of the time. That’s something I still need to get a feeling for, especially with a lot of new tracks this season such as Monza and Le Castellet. It’s being able to perform consistently and at a high level that is the most important thing, and they are really helping me get to grips with that.”

What has been the biggest challenge for you since moving to endurance racing?

“Definitely sharing the car is something that I had been looking forward to the most. Driving solo in the DTM has been very beneficial for me, learning the car and working with the setup to suit my driving style, but there’s something special about sharing the car. I get a lot of support from the other guys and it’s all about compromise too: finding something that works for all three drivers and take part in the briefings. But, honestly, with Mirko and Jordan, you can give them anything and they will find a way to be fast, so it’s just about getting me up to their level.”

What are the feelings like being part of the Lamborghini Factory Driver roster?

“It’s kind of difficult to put into words really, because you always have this dream when you are just starting out in racing to one day work and race for a manufacturer in an official role, and it’s definitely an honour to be part of the Lamborghini programme. The history and the emotion of the brand is amazing. I never thought about being part of the Lamborghini brand back when I was racing in touring cars, because Lamborghini was such a different kind of brand and it seemed too far away to reach. Even two years ago when I started in GT3, the DTM deal with Lamborghini was really a last-minute thing and I never had any intention of pushing in that direction because I thought it was the sort of thing that only the superstars would be involved in. So, it wasn’t too much on the radar, but the first DTM season was decent and put me on the map a little, but it’s funny how quickly things move in motorsport.”

Away from the racetrack, what do you get up to?

“I am heavily involved in the family company, Team Engstler [which competes in ADAC GT Masters with Lamborghini] so I am normally the first person to open and the last person to close the workshop, so there is not a lot of free time outside of my own racing. But it’s also what I love; it’s what gives me that disconnect from being a driver and being on the other side of racing. I have different responsibilities and it allows me to be in the same environment but see things from a different perspective and that gives me a lot of joy.

I took over the company from my dad two years ago, so I do a bit of everything and it’s still a family-run team. Such is the size of the team; I do everything from unloading the truck to signing deals with drivers and sponsors. This all helps me to understand the business side of motorsport, how sponsors work and everything, so it gives me the big picture.”

Do you do a lot of sim work before a race weekend?

“To be honest, the only sim work I do is on Call of Duty! There’s not a lot of transferable skills there…It’s definitely more on the disconnect side and it allows me to relax a bit!”

Fresh from a first GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup victory alongside Jordan Pepper at Magny-Cours last weekend, Luca Engstler will be back in action this weekend on home soil at the Nürburgring for the fifth round of the DTM season.